The son of Frederick Hackert and Dorothy Glasgow Hackert, Don was born in 1933 in the Bronx. After the death of his mother, his father married Julia Welsh Hackert, who had his four siblings: Thomas, Beverly, Dianne, and Herbert.
Don graduated from Mount Kisco High School and served in the U.S. Army in Germany. Afterward, he worked on the ground crew at Westchester County Airport. One night, he and another ground crew member were stopped by police racing each other home. The next issue of the local paper carried the headline, “Two airport employees caught flying low through Armonk.”
Don got his pilot’s license and was hired by Mohawk Airlines in 1966. He became a captain with Allegheny Airlines and retired from U.S. Airways in 1996.
Don coached and umpired for Little League Baseball in Londonderry, NH. He retired to Sebastian, FL where he enjoyed golf, potato chips, and Diet Coke.
He is survived by his loving sons Brian and Timothy, his granddaughter Sarah, his great-grandchildren Aiden, Ava, and Alexander, and his siblings Tommy, Dianne, and Bev.
Obituary contributed by the Hackert Family.
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